Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I appreciate that this issue has very much been in the media over the past month, but I wish to raise the very serious matter of the recent pollution incident on the River Blackwater. It passes through the town of Fermoy, which I live in and represent. As the Tánaiste will be aware, the Blackwater is one of the largest rivers in Ireland. It covers a major part of County Cork and five mountain ranges.

The River Blackwater is a designated special area of conservation under the EU habitats directive and for such a recognised and protected area, its pollution in mid-August has caused devastation to roughly 40 km of river. The pollution of the river has resulted in huge losses of fish stocks with estimates of over 50,000 fish killed. Some are estimating it could result in the loss of up to four generations of salmon. I understand there are also fears among those who fish the river this event may cause the end of a self-sustaining population of salmon in the river, particularly if urgent remedial action is not taken. In addition, the knock-on effects for local businesses and anglers have been severe and I have met local tackle shop owners and proprietors of bed and breakfasts along the river who fear for their livelihoods due to the tarnishing of the excellent reputation of the river both at home and abroad. These business owners and longtime anglers have raised serious, legitimate concerns at the lack of information since the event.

I acknowledge a committee has been formed with a membership including Inland Fisheries Ireland and Cork County Council. I understand it has met twice to date, with the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries, Deputy Dooley, chairing one of the meetings. However, here we are over a month later and details remain to be given. While it is quite obvious to all that this incident is not a natural disaster, we are still none the wiser about the exact cause of the pollution and the full extent of the river affected. We also have no further information whatsoever about the environmental irritant used or the number of fish killed. Given the urgency of this situation, which in my eyes should be addressed as one of the worst pollution events in the history of the State, I ask the Tánaiste to intervene to see the investigation is progressed and the exact facts and figures are brought to light as soon as possible. Establishing the root cause of this event is key to ensuring similar incidents of this nature do not occur in future.

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